WAREHAM — Manuel Garcia, who served as kitchen manager of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament for the past 11 years and as a longtime volunteer for the event, died Monday. He was 85.

Garcia was found offshore near Sias Point in Onset and pronounced dead after an apparent drowning, Wareham police said.

An avid quahogger and fisherman, Garcia died doing what he loved, said his son, Tom.

"His whole life was about fishing," Tom said. "After he retired, he ran a fishing charter called the Portuguese Fisherman. He did lobstering for a number of years."

Born in New Bedford, Garcia went with his mother and siblings to Madeira after the stock market crash of 1929 and returned to the United States at 19, Tom said. He served in the Korean War and received a Bronze Star.

"He was a loving father," Tom said.

Garcia worked as a computer project manager with IBM starting at the age of 25. Tom said his father worked for St. Patrick's Church in Wareham and as a leader of his local Elks Lodge.

At the feast, Garcia was best known as kitchen manager for the past 11 years, overseeing the all-volunteer unit that puts out thousands of meals. He had been a main cook in the kitchen for longer than that.

He will be "sorely missed," said Ed Camara, Jr., director of media and public relations for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. But he said the feast will be able to pass the torch on to another kitchen manager this year, a testament to Garcia's skill and organization at the event.

"He did the job in such a way that a person could come in, and so many of the people already know what to do," said Camara of the other kitchen volunteers. "But Manny will be there in spirit."

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament founded by Portuguese immigrants from the island of Madeira in 1914. Garcia served as feast president in 1991.

In 2012, Garcia said ensuring the best possible meals at the feast was paramount to his work there.

"There are no measuring cups here," Garcia told The Standard-Times. "Everything is measured by taste. Put some spices in and taste it. Everything is prepared and cooked to be a delicious Portuguese delicacy."